Nay_ho_tze's Medicine Musings

The Story of the very First Warrior Ribbon Shirt
where the idea came from


traditional ribbon shirt

                            Traditional Ribbon Shirt, above
                                 as a child sized mock-up          

it's only toddler size - easier to write off if i messed it up even though i was so sure of the experiment's outcome that i photographed the mock-up without even side seams

...then emailed my friend a picture with an explanation that i wanted to make ribbon shirts, that this was my first attempt ever, and was i on track?  
His response was immediate and told me 
that i'd nailed it -
"This one's mine, itabee"

i told him i knew that - that he'd been its inspiration --

later, working on his shirt, i began to combine skills and developed the 'ribbon jewelry' which began the idea of taking the traditional ribbon shirt to a whole new level and leading me to coin the 'warrior' distinction.


        below mock-up and final product side by side

traditiona and warrior ribbon shirts

The idea of a Warrior Ribbon Shirt first began life
as a phrase:"a cloak of healing" is what i heard
from the intuitive me who was curious to see if the designer me, from just a bit of personal client info (birthdate, clan, etc.), could create a shirt with undeniable resonance to that person  --
i picked a Chickasaw friend - 
even though on a very deep level he is a brother,
in this life we've never met outside of cyberspace  -
it was a perfect guinea pig situation ...
without his knowing i designed this mock-up shirt, 
at left ... 


                      below, 
NHT's first Warrior Ribbon Shirt

warrior ribbon shirt

below:  when i was asked for a do-rag to match his shirt, 
i discovered there is versus between that and a skullcap - 
i didn't know his preference, and i wanted to surprise him 

so he got one of each!  
(note: do-rag comes down  lower on skull)

skullcaps and do-rags

click on an mage to scroll through gallery below

 -NHT
©2015
all rights reserved 



for examples of completed projects

click here to see NHT's "Eastern Woodlands" ancestor shirt
designed for Chief Dwaine Perry of the Ramapough Lunaape Nation

click here
 for NHT's "Wolfsong" ancestor shirt,
designed for a British musician dedicated to bringing American Indian culture to his fellow Brits ...